Mike Brown was formally introduced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers during a news conference Tuesday in El Segundo on Tuesday.

Brown will replace Phil Jackson, who retired after coaching the team for the past 12 season. Jackson guided the team to five NBA championships.

"I have great respect for Phil Jackson and all of his accomplishments," Brown said during the news conference. "I'm not sure what size shoes he wears, but I'm not here to fill his shoes."

Brown said he has spoken to many of the Lakers players already, including Kobe Bryant.

"Kobe and I talked about a lot of things," Brown said. "We talked about family, we talked about last year, the team. He wanted to know what I had in store and going forward on both sides of the ball and what my beliefs are. And I thought the meeting in person as well as the conversation on the phone went very well."

"He's one of the greatest ever. His role will not change," Brown added.

Team executives have received heavy criticism from the media and fans for hiring Brown.

Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers for five seasons but spent the past year as an NBA analyst for ESPN. Two years ago, Brown was named NBA coach of the year.

Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said only 3 people were interviewed for the job. In order, they were Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, Rick Adelman and Brown.

Brown was so impressive in his interview that Jerry Buss, his son Jim Buss and Kupchak all agreed to look no further.

At the news conference, Brown said he wanted to lead them back to the finals.

"What happened to them has made them hungry," he said. "Hopefully, when we start training camp, I have 15 angry men. We don't play for second here. Simple as that."